Dominic felt defeated as he slowly trekked up the steps to his home. All the lights were on, so he knew Brian and Mia were probably up waiting for him. Upon entering, he was indeed faced by his sister and brother-in-law, who both jumped up from the sofa to address him.

"Dom, are you okay? What the hell happened tonight?" Brian asked frantically as he watched Dom head for the stairs.

"I don't wanna talk tonight, Brian. I'm tired."

"Dominic, what-" Mia started.

"YOU TELL HIM!" Dom roared, his bark rattling the photos hanging on the walls. "You know more than I do."

Dom continued his angry stalk up the stairs and headed for his bedroom. Once there, he quickly stripped down to his boxers and crawled in bed. The cold sheets were like ice against his skin, which was still scorching from the small contact with Letty. He felt like his entire body was on fire, but he enjoyed the sensation. He felt alive, more alive than he had been in the past two years. Seeing her, touching her again brought to life excitement and joy in Dominic.. something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Guilt stuck to him like glue and he woke with regrets every morning about the way he handled the Dominican Republic with Letty. Not only abandoning her, but not bothering to keep in touch or even check in on her. It wasn't his first instance leaving her behind, but every time he told himself it was for her own good. To keep the law off her back, as well as any goons seeking vengeance against their family. He knew she would always find her way back to Mia, and that the two would look out for each other. Even years later, memory loss and all, Letty had found her way back to his baby sister. He wanted to be angry with Mia, and a small part of him still was, but he knew if it wasn't for her, Letty wouldn't be back. If anything, he was grateful.

Though he was unsure how things were go next with Letty back in town, Dom was thrilled to have seen her again. She stopped to talk to him, and even hesitated to pull away from his grasp.

Maybe she did miss him the way he missed her. Maybe she was as lonely as he. That night, Dom went to sleep with a little more hope than before.

The next morning, Dom was dressed and ready to head out to work. Though it was Sunday and the garage was closed, he had a few customers he promised to tend to after the impromptu day off yesterday. Trekking downstairs, the smell of bacon and pancake syrup carried him to the kitchen, where Mia was currently playing a breakfast spread. Brian sat at the table with Jack, coffee in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. Jack was currently wrestling his way through a small pile of flapjacks.

Dom didn't speak as he moved into the room, placing a kiss on Jack's head and Mia's cheek before heading over for coffee. He could feel her eyes on him but he didn't return the gaze.

"Dom, I'm-"

"Don't, Mi," he interrupted, "Not now."

Mia gave a watery smile and turned to Jack, ignoring Brian's sad eyes. Brian stood from the table and gave her a comforting squeeze on her shoulders before turning to her brother.

"Can I talk to you?" Brian asked and immediately noticed the apprehension on Dom's face, "About business," he clarified.

"Why don't you come in today? I could use a hand."

Brian agreed and kissed his wife and son before heading out to work with Dom. Once in the car, Dom could feel Brian watching him. O'Conner had questions, but so did he.

"You really hurt your sister's feelings last night."

Dom didn't reply because he already knew. He didn't mean to lose it on her, but he didn't like her keeping things from him, especially concerning Letty. Instead, he glanced down at the paperwork in Brian's lap.

"That what you wanna talk about?" he changed the subject.

"Uh, yeah. I've been looking at this vacant building in Seattle, about three blocks from Jack's school. It's been sitting for a while after foreclosure, and I though it'd make a good garage," Brian paused and waited for an initial reaction from Dom. A small hint of a smile curled at his lips, so Brian continued, "A damn good DT Automotive garage."

Dom's smirk grew into a full-blown grin, "A chain garage?"

"Yeah, Bro," Brian gave a relieved sigh before shuffling through the papers, "I wanted to meet with the former owners first to see if it was a good location before I came to you with it with anything concrete. The West Coast loves the Toretto family brand, and your Pops had a heavy fan-base in Washington. I think it would be good to expand on what we have here, branch out."

"A lot of Dad's biggest races came out of Washington, so I'm not surprised," Dom remembered vividly, "Brian, are you coming up with this because you're bored being a housewife?"

"Yes... no... I don't know. I love being home with Jack - that's daddy little guy - but he's in school now. And with Mia so busy with the hospital it'd be nice to have my hands in something."

Dom could see the nervousness on Brian' face, so he gave him a positive smile to calm his worries. He trusted Brian; he was brilliant mechanic and loyal 'til the end. A best friend, even more, a brother.

"It sounds like a great idea, Brian."

Brian returned a bright smile, "What a relief. I was thinking about asking Roman to come up and help out, under your supervision, of course."

"See now, you're making me lose confidence," he teased as he stepped out of the car and onto the DT Automotive lot. He unlocked the bay doors and lifted them to the sky as that pungent, greasy smell hit them instantly.

Dom loved this place, the garage. It had been a sanctuary of sorts for he and his lifelong friends, and a real gem to southern LA. The people of this city loved this garage because Dino treated every customer like family. He never turned down someone in need, and he never sent someone back on the road with potentially-dangerous issues, regardless of the cost of repairs. He often found himself doing free tune-ups for those low on funds. Sure, it didn't help their financial woes, but that didn't stop his father from caring for the people who remained loyal to him.

Those were the qualities Dom was proud to say he continued with the garage; fairness, patience, and a little compassion. And because he never had to fear about going in debt again, he had no problem helping out his fellow neighbors. He only wanted to take care of his family, and he considered the residents of southern LA to be an extension of his family. No matter where the DT Automotive name was located, Dom knew Brian would be the perfect man to convey that same message.

Suddenly, a second garage didn't sound so bad.

An hour after arriving, customers began rolling in and the men were quick to work. The brothers worked in relative silence, while the old boombox in the back played Al Green through the shop. A little small-talk here and there, but nothing serious enough to kill the mood. And Brian wasn't sure if he felt confident enough to ask Dominic about last night again. He wasn't quite in the mood for another wrestling match after his rumble with Oz.

After another hour of tiptoeing around Dom's mild-mannered mood, Brian finally broke his silence.

"You know we have to talk about last night, right?" Brian said, pausing his work on a '95 Acura Integra to stare at Dom.

Dom himself froze over the engine he was working on.

"Letty's back in California," he said after a brief pause, getting back to is work, "She's been in Vegas."

"Mia said she called Letty's phone, she never expected her to answer. We've all been trying that number for months, it's been off, you know that."

"I know Brian. How long have they been in contact?"

"Just last night. She made Mia promise not to tell either of us. She wouldn't come otherwise."

"She did the right thing. She gained Letty's trust, and led her to us. I'm not angry at Mia... at least not anymore."

Brian nodded, relieved and eager to relay the message to his wife. "How is she?"

Dom thought about her again. He smiled, "She seems good. Skittish, but good. She looks really good."

Brian smiled. It had been a while since he saw Dominic grinning like a teenage boy over anything. Anytime he had, it was usually because of Letty.

"Yeah, Letty always has been a looker. I'm guessing you had a good talk?"

"After she made me chase her for twenty minutes, yeah. It was better than expected. At least she didn't shoot me this time," he laughed. "I'm gonna try to get Billie to track down her hotel, see if I can catch her out again." Brian gave him a skeptical look. "Now what?"

"I don't think going to Billie right now would be in your best interest, or hers. Billie loves you. And I know I told you to go for it, but that was before Hurricane Letty came rolling back into town. If you're going after Letty, which we all know you are, you can't ask Billie to help you get her back. She's not Elena. She's not that girl."

"How was she last night? After I left?" Dom asked, not looking up from his work. He felt ashamed for the back and forth he had put Billie through.

"She had her guard up, for sure. You know Billie, she wasn't going to cry in public, but it was obvious that she was pissed."

"What should I do?" Dom couldn't believe he was asking the Buster for advice on women.

"For now, I'd give her some space. Let her come to terms with how she feels about the whole Letty thing. And quit asking her to search for other women for you. How could you even think that would end well?"

Dom chuckled but shook his head. He enjoyed these moments alone with Brian.

It was a little past noon, and the men were dying for a break from work. A few walk-in tune-ups made for a longer day, but it gave the men time to catch up. With Brian gone for the past year, Dom didn't really have any close friends to confide in or even shoot the breeze with. He had the Twins, but they were like kids in adult bodies, and usually too stoned to take anything serious. Oz wasn't exactly the type to share his feelings; a few strange grunts and some condescending looks was usually all Dom got out of him. It felt great to have his brother back.

"Yo Dom, get that will ya?" Brian called from under the chassis of a Dodge Stratus, referring to the garage phone that was ringing off the hook.

As soon as the work phone stopped, Brian's cell started. The loud ringing frightened him, causing Brian to smash his forehead on the metal above. He groaned out in pain, grasping his injury as he rolled out from under the car. Pulling out his phone, Brian stared at the unknown number on the screen. Curiosity made him answer.

"Hello?"

"I hate to do this to you, Bri, but we need to meet up. Now."

"Letty?!" he whispered into his phone. He stood from the dolly and moved outside the building for privacy. "What's going on?"

"I can't explain over the phone, that's why we need to meet. Can you meet me at my hotel in Pasadena?"

"Yeah, shoot me the address. Lemme guess... don't tell Dom?" he asked, heading over to his Maxima in the lot.

"Your discretion would be appreciated, yes. Dom tends to jump to conclusions and this is a very delicate situation."

"I'm on my way."

As Brian ended the call and pulled open the car door, Dom called over to him.

"Bailing on me, O'Conner?"

One of the perks of being a detective for so long was the ability to lie well on the spot. Or so he thought. "That was Mia. She needs me at the house."

Dom gave a suspicious look. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, man. Probably Jack having a fit over lunch again. He's a picky eater," Brian smirked, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Dom nodded and watched Brian take off out of the lot. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Oz.

"Yo, Oz. I need a favor... yeah I need you to come look after the shop for a while."

Brian sat patiently on the bench outside of the nice hotel, covered in dirt, car grease, and reeking of sweat. He certainly stood out from the neatly-dressed guests coming and going from the high-quality establishment. After a few minutes of waiting, a soft voice finally called out to him.

"You finally got the grease-monkey look down, I see."

Brian turned to see Letty there, dressed in grey leggings and a black tank, her signature smirk on her face. He stood to his feet and looked at her for the first time in two years, soaking in the intimidating essence that was Letty Ortiz. He always felt a little nervous around Letty; it took more than a good-looking smile to get her to open up, and he still held guilt for throwing her into the lion's den with Braga.

"Dom was right - you do look good."

"Wish I could say the same. At least you're starting to appear like a decent mechanic and not an underwear model," she grinned wide while giving his grimy clothes a once-over.

"Don't pretend like you don't find this sexy! Come give me a hug," Brian grinned, lunging for her with her arms out wide. Letty laughed, even giggled when he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her into a bear hug. "You had us worried sick, woman. Where have you been?"

"Here and there. I've been fine, but you may not be. Sit," her smile was gone and Brian began to worry.

Dom locked up the garage and took off after Brian, leaving his work temporarily unattended. Oz lived close and Dom knew he could count on him. It didn't take long for him to catch up with Brian heading in the direction of Pasadena. Dom kept a good distance but stayed on his tail. Normally, Dom wouldn't have felt the need to follow after Brian, but he was lying about wherever he was rushing off too, and that didn't sit well with Dom. It couldn't have been Mia who called Brian because she was the one calling the garage at the same time, asking when they'd be in for lunch. Dom was fed up with all the sneaking around and was determined to get to the bottom of it.

He ended up tailing O'Conner to Pasadena, only a few blocks away from the park where he chatted with Letty the previous night. It didn't take long to spot Brian's bright blue car in the lot of the four-star hotel. Dom parked across the street in the packed lot of a restaurant where he had a great view of Brian sitting on a bench outside of the hotel. Seconds later, Letty exited the building and approached Brian.

At first, Dominic was furious with his brother-in-law. But as soon as his eyes landed on Letty, Dom couldn't take them off of her. Naturally, he smiled from ear to ear at the sight of her. He still couldn't believe that she was alive, even all this time later. He remembered being devastated at the news he received from his sister that day, and how he thought - no, knew his life was over without her. How he saw the accident, saw her killed right before his eyes. Images that he still couldn't clear from his brain.

"She's alive, Dom," he had to remind himself. "She's right there."

Though he missed the days of her in cargo pants hanging off her hips and flamed-tipped boots, he found the simplistic style of the "new" Letty intriguing, and attractive. She had kept in shape, that much he could tell from the tight pants clinging to her toned thighs.

Dom watched with a smile as the two embraced before sitting. Dom read her body language and picked up that something wasn't right with her. She seemed on edge as she presumably delivered unwanted news to Brian. He looked at Letty with panic written on his face. Brian leaned over, running his hands through his hair as he started to rock slightly. Letty's hand rubbed at his back comfortingly as she leaned over to whisper something in his ear, but it didn't seem to make Brian feel better. He stood suddenly, cursing loud enough for Dom to hear from across the street. He stormed off to his car, ignoring Letty's calls after him.

Dominic waited until Brian was out of sight before stepping out of the car. He knew Letty would hear his engine, so he left it and walked over to the hotel. He looked around the massive, intricately-designed hotel and realized it'd be impossible to find Letty on his own. He headed to the front desk, where a short redhead with bright green eyes greeted him with a smile.

"I'm looking for my friend, she just came through here," Dom started with a polite smile. "Could you help me?"

"Sure," the clerk blushed and hit a few keys on her computer, "Name?"

"Letty Ortiz."

"I'm sorry, we don't have a Letty Ortiz registered. Could it be under a different name?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe. She's with a woman, and a dog-"

"Terry, it's fine. He's here for me."

Dom turned to the stairs leading to the second floor, where Letty stood at the bottom with her arms crossed. She wore a smile, but for some reason, Dom didn't take it as a happy one. Letty turned on her heels and headed back up the stairs, not bothering to see if he was following. She knew he would b. He watched her strut down the hall, her backside looking just as good as the front.

"You realize your voice echoes through a place this big, right?" she asked over her shoulder. "Probably terrified those guests. Not to mention you look like you crawled out of a junkyard."

Letty pushed open the door to her room and Dom was quickly met by the same pup from the night before. The dog growled while sniffing him down apprehensively. Dom stood perfectly still - he wasn't the biggest fan of dogs - and allowed the dog to check him out as if he were going through a metal detector.

"Can you call him off?" Dom asked as her snout got a little too close to his privates.

Letty looked over her shoulder and smirked, "She will stop when she's finished," she turned back to the bed she was standing, seemingly packing a bag. "What are you doing here, Dom?"

"Brian was working with me when you called. He lied and said he was going to see Mia. I wanted the truth."

"So you followed him? You ever think he lied because he didn't want to tell you?" she zipped up her duffel and sat it by the door, where Dominic still stood. Letty finally grabbed Ginger's collar, pulling her away from Dom's crotch.

"No. I think he lied because you told him to," Letty's eyes glared at him, "He seemed pretty upset about whatever you guys talked about. What it is?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with. You realize you don't have to know every little thing going on with everyone, right?"

"I do. Lies get people hurt. Secrets get people killed."

Letty froze, "Well nobody is gonna die if I can help it." She reached under the mattress for something before tucking it behind her back. It didn't go unnoticed by Dominic.

"You taking off again?" Dom asked.

Letty could hear the anguish hidden in his voice, and one look at him confirmed it. "I'm just checking out of here. Eight hundred dollars a night is getting a little costly."

"Where are you gonna go? Where's your friend?"

"Brooke is with Leon, at his shop. Told her I needed to rest for a while-"

"-But you really needed to meet with Brian," Dom finished for her, "Whatever you and him talked about... it has to do with her, doesn't it? Is she in some kind of trouble?"

"Dominic, I don't have time for this. I've already been gone for too long. I have to get back," Letty shouldered three heavy bags and turned for the door that Dom was still blocking. He stood like a bouncer with no intentions of letting her slide past him. "Either help me with these bags or get out of my way."

The standoff was intense between the two. The nerves she showed the night before were long gone, and she stared back at him with confidence in her actions. She didn't show fear or weakness for the man who frightened her out of town two years ago. She stood tall, ready to battle him if need be. Dom finally caved in, settling for taking two of the bags out of her hands and standing behind her. Letty leashed her dog before the three left the room, making their quiet exit out of the hotel. Standing at the trunk of her Camaro, Dom helped load the heavy duffels into the trunk. He watched Letty lean into the trunk, giving him clear view the caramel-colored skin leading to her ass. His view was obstructed by the gun hanging out of her waistband.

"I never knew you to need a gun," he murmured as she slammed the trunk. She pulled her tank down over her weapon.

"Years of trusting the wrong people will do that to you," she said coldly. Letty helped her dog in the backseat before turning to lean against the car, her arms folded over her chest. "I told Mia that I would stop by before they headed back to Seattle. I meant that."

"Everyone's flying in on Friday. Maybe you can stop by then. I know Tej and Rome would love to see you."

Letty gave a laugh, "Yeah, I do kinda miss those knuckleheads. Maybe I will."

"Should I be worried about O'Conner? He's got a son now, Letty. He's still trying to cope with a life without bullets, and I don't want-"

"Dom, Brian and Roman locked up Brooke's dad in Miami a decade ago. Some hotshot kingpin. She thinks he'll be out in the next few years and wanted me to warn him."

Dom cursed and ran his hands over his face, frustration quickly rushing through his blood. Instinctively, Letty's hands grabbed at his, pulling them away from his face, "Hey, chill out. I promised nothing will happen to anyone."

"He can't get dragged into that life again, Letty. I refuse to let my baby sister become a widow at thirty." Dom tried to focus on her face and not the way she held his hands in hers. Her soft skin muddled the thoughts in his head, and Dom held back from tossing her on the hood of the Camaro.

Letty's hand moved to his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "And he won't. He'll be fine, all right? I have to go."

Dom nodded and he couldn't stop himself from reaching up to her hand that was on his face, giving the inside of her palm a gentle kiss. Letty's cheeks tinted a bright red color before pulling her hand away.

"Go home Dominic," she said, sliding in her car. "Tell O'Conner not to worry; I'll take care of this."